    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [December 21, 2004]
    [Pages 3135-3136]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004
    December 21, 2004

        Today, I have signed into law H.R. 3242, the ``Specialty Crops
    Competitiveness Act of 2004'' (the ``Act''). The Act is designed to
    increase the competitiveness of fruits,

    [[Page 3136]]

    vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops grown in the
    United States.
        Section 1408A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
    Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended by section 303 of the Act,
    purports to require the Secretary of Agriculture to take into
    consideration certain advisory board-approved findings and
    recommendations in preparing the Secretary's annual departmental budget
    proposal to the President and to disclose to the Congress how the
    Secretary addressed each such recommendation. The executive branch shall
    construe section 1408A in a manner consistent with the President's
    constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch, to
    require the opinions of principal officers of the executive departments,
    to recommend for the consideration of the Congress such measures as the
    President shall judge necessary and expedient, and to withhold
    information the disclosure of which could impair the deliberative
    processes of the Executive or the performance of the Executive's
    constitutional duties.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     December 21, 2004.

    Note: H.R. 3242, approved December 21, was assigned Public Law No. 108-
    465.